Central Coast Council is committed to keeping our community safe and well-informed about flooding. To achieve this, Council regularly updates Flood Studies and Floodplain Risk Management Plans for all creeks, lakes, lagoons, and estuaries across the Central Coast.

For Tuggerah Lakes, Council adopted a Floodplain Risk Management Plan in 2015, which was based on computer modelling from a 1994 Flood Study. Recognising the need for the most up-to-date information, Council have now completed a comprehensive review of these documents, starting with a new Flood Study.

Council engaged Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (MHL), a leading expert in the industry, to undertake this review. The project is supported by funding from the NSW Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water and has been managed in line with the NSW Government’s Flood Prone Land Policy.

This updated Flood Study is a key step in understanding how flooding happens around Tuggerah Lakes. Using the latest technology and over 30 years of new data, the study provides a clearer picture of flood behaviour and flood risk in the area. This study focuses on flooding from the lakes themselves, not from smaller creeks or overland flows (which have been covered by separate studies).

The findings from this study will help Council make more informed and systematic decisions about land use planning and flood risk management and support a safer and more resilient community.

A hard copy of the draft report is also available at the Bateau Bay and Lake Haven libraries.

The community was consulted at the start of this study, with Council seeking local knowledge and personal flood experiences to help inform the work.

Council is now inviting the community to review the draft report and make a formal submission via the formal submissions form below.

Submissions are accepted between 9 October and 5 November 2025, by either:

• online: via the formal submission form
• post: PO Box 20, Wyong NSW 2259.

To have your say, be sure to submit your feedback before the exhibition closes.

Council will be hosting multiple drop-in information sessions during the public exhibition period. These sessions give the community an opportunity to come in and ask questions in person and looks at flood maps in more detail. The following sessions are on offer:

An optional third session may be made available on Thursday 30 October depending on levels of community interest.

For more information about this study, check out the FAQ’s to the right of this page.

For more information on flooding in general, developing within a flood zone, and the Flood Risk Management process, jump on over to Council’s Floodplain Management page.